TYLER, Texas — East Texas health officials anticipated a spike in COVID-19 cases would come as the weather turned colder. Data collected by the Northeast Texas Public Health (NET Health) shows what was predicted.
George Roberts, NET Health CEO, provided an update on COVID-19 cases in the region during a Tyler City Council meeting Wednesday, Nov. 11.
"We've been in this process now for 8 months, and people are ready to get back to their day to day lives. We kind of refer to it as COVID-19 fatigue," Roberts said. "Let's not let our guard down."
At this time, there are 6,499 active cases in the seven counties NET Health covers, with nearly 500 cases reported from Nov. 6-7.
Roberts says if public health measures aren't followed, more cases will come, especially in Smith County.
"We're on track to add, you know, another 8,000 cases by the end of the year," he said.
Smith County isn't the only county experiencing a spike in the region. Gregg, Rains, Smith, Wood, and Van Zandt counties have been reported as experiencing "large scale", uncontrolled community transmission, including congregate settings (e.g, schools, workplaces, nursing homes, daycares.)
"We don't have a vaccine yet, we do have some therapy and treatments but the best way we can take care of that [COVID-19] are those public health measures," Roberts explained. "Decrease the number of places that you go out and about, wear a mask when you're out in public and basically that's to protect others from you, wash your hands for 20 seconds."
Smith County Health Authority Dr. Paul McGaha also spoke during the presentation about herd immunity and why it's effective, but not the best option at this time.
"It would take months and the devastation would be significant from the illness, from the expansive hospitalizations," McGaha said. "With 200 million in the United States becoming ill."
McGaha says with vaccine trials underway there is "hope embedded in all these numbers that show rates going up."